Birthday of St Petersburg

This weekend we celebrate one of the brightest and most colorful holidays — the birthday of St Petersburg. Established in 1703, the city will be 311 years old on the 27th of May. Local authorities worked out a program] of three-day holidays which include a wide range of events. Due to the fact that St Petersburg is considered the «Cultural Capital of Russia» the city will be turned into a huge open-air stage for performances.

On the 25th of May a festival called »Dancing St Petersburg» will take place on Nevsky Prospect. More than 4,000 dancers aged 10 to 35 will perform waltz, ballet and other dances. They will be dressed in white, blue and red — three colors of the Russian national flag. Later in the evening an opera performance will be organized on the vast Palace Square. This year the city invited such opera stars as the Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garancha and the Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo.

Many activities were especially designed for children. For example, the area nearby Alexandrinsky Theatre will be used for a traditional ice-cream festival. In addition to that, on Manege Square a carnival of literary characters will be organised. Children are invited to participate in a competition for the best hand-made costume of fictitious heroes.

Taking into account the high popularity of this holiday among both local people and foreign guests, all the main events will be free. Moreover, the metro will operate all night long and the price for a trip will be the same as usual.

Enjoy the festivities and help us celebrate the birthday of St Petersburg.